CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JANUARY 06: Golden Tate of the Philadelphia Eagles completes a reception to score a touchdown against the Chicago Bears in the fourth quarter of the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at Soldier Field. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

The Patriots tried to add another legit receiver to their corps at the trade deadline, but they got beat out by the team that beat them in the Super Bowl last season.

As part of his Monday column for The MMQB, Albert Breer reports that the Patriots offered a third-round pick to the Detroit Lions for receiver Golden Tate. The Lions ultimately accepted a third-rounder from the Eagles for Tate, because they felt that would be a higher pick.

That last part is still in doubt, thanks to Nick Foles' resurgence powering the Eagles to late-season run to the playoffs. Both teams are in the divisional round this weekend. So it remains to be seen whether the Lions screwed themselves by not going with the Patriots' pick.

At the same time, it remains to be seen whether the Patriots' turnover and lack of depth at receiver comes back to bite them in the playoffs. But if they do ultimately come up short of a Super Bowl, it's possible that their mismanagement at that position is one of the main reasons why.

It'd be hard to blame them for the non-trade, however. They did at least try to get Tate. And if you're mad they didn't get the deal done, you can't also say with a straight face you would've been fine with them trading more than a third-rounder to get him.

That being said, Tate certainly would've looked good in a Patriots uniform for the past eight games. And if he's the rental that (gulp) puts the Eagles over the top for a second straight Super Bowl, a second-rounder would look like a paltry price in comparison to sacrificing another championship.

Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at [email protected].